Topline: The SDPD criminalizes communities of color,
especially Black people, in Southeast San Diego by falsely labeling them
as gang members. This routine practice inflicts devastating racially
biased harms, undermines community safety, and wastes tremendous public
dollars.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
[insert text]
CONTEXT
Community quote or video
- This is “Criminalization” (define via callout box) and it Inflicts
Devastating Racially Biased Harms (direct and indirect) (Mitchelle)
Community quote or video
Criminalization callout box
FINDINGS
1. SDPD targets communities of color, particularly Black and young
people in Southeast San Diego, with this harmful practice
Community quote or video
[insert text]
Data show that stops made by the SDPD are racially biased.
[insert text/findings]
[insert text/findings]
Available data show that SDPD’s gang enforcement assignment profiles
young and Black people for gang activity.
Community quote or video
[insert text/findings]
[insert text/findings]
SDPD data are underinclusive and mask the extent of racially biased,
gang profiling in San Diego.
Compare what data show (relatively low numbers) to lived
experiences (revealing a more expansive practice)
Compare to figures in CalGang
Explain inconsistency between Gang Unit (under SDPD) and “Gang
Enforcement” Assignment (under RIPA)
Denial of PRA Request on Gang Unit is a form of secrecy (rather
than transparency) used to hidecover SDPD’s racially biased gang
documentation practices. This lack of transparency erodes both public
trust in SDPD’s ability to advance and community safety.
Beyond the gang enforcement assignment, an analysis of stops that
result in field interview cards also show that SDPD targets young, Black
people, unfairly labeling them as gang members.
FI Card explanation/definition
Community quote or video
[insert text/findings]
[insert text/findings]
2. Such racially biased stops harm the Southeast community and
undermine community safety.
Community quote or video
[insert text]
When searches are conducted as a part of gang profiling, they are
largely ineffective and biased.
[insert text/findings]
[insert text/findings]
Southeast community members have had their wellbeing and safety
harmed by gang enforcement stops.
Community quote or video
[insert text/findings]
Race/ethnicity: AIAN=American Indian or
Alaska Native, NHPI=Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, MESA=Middle
Eastern or South Asian; Observations by race may overlap in the point
density map. Catalyst
California’s calculations based on City of San Diego’s Police Stop Data
(2022); Catalyst
California, 2023. Analysis for all officer-initiated
stops.
3. These racially biased activities waste public resources.
Community quote or video
[insert text]
Based on available data, SDPD spends a disproportionate amount of
time on profiling people of color for gang activity.
[insert text/findings]
[insert text/findings]
This time translates to wasted public dollars.
[insert text/findings]
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Alternative investments that actually increase safety
- Enact the Protect Act
- Others…
METHODOLOGY
[link to methodology on GitHub]